The Twists In The Paths We Choose
by awesomelydivergent
Summary: Life was isn't fair. It never was. Because no matter how much we prepare for the unexpected, we will be unprepared. That's the truth. Nothing is black or white, because there will always be twists in the paths we choose.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

_"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."_

_-Arnold Schwarzenegger_

* * *

The cold metal seeped into the dancer's body, as she took away the breaths of everyone in the room. The disgusting old men all stared, open mouthed and jaws on the floor, as her figure sashayed in ways unimaginable.

Blonde wisps entered her eyes, and the coldness caused her to shiver on the inside, but on the outside, she was just the new girl. She felt as if it were noticeable, written on her face.

Many of the men stared with lust, watching hungrily at the petite girl. The frat boys all wolf-whistled, and were calling out her name. It was a fake name.

Not long after, she became the best the business's got, and made her way to the midnight show- the number one girl only got to perform then. And that was what she would do.

The others glared at her jealously, never admitting that they were inferior. After all, they had more experience, she was just a rookie. And a plain one at that.

She wasn't like any of the others, not exotic or special. Sure she had blonde hair and blue eyes, but that's were it ended. A long nose stuck out, and her features were simple at that.

Makeup soon became her best friend.

"Just until I can pay off college," she promised herself. Never would she escort. The nineteen year old couldn't fathom the possibility of doing...it... with all these business man, and cheating husbands. It was a stupid thought, but she wanted to do the deed with the special one. True, you only lost your virginity once.

And a few months after becoming a pro at what she does, every weekday night, she found herself becoming confident. That would become her undoing.

She should've checked that she wasn't being followed. There's so much she could've done to protect herself that night.

But she didn't.

And that's why she woke up the next morning, lying naked in a pool of her own blood in a dark alley. But it's not like she accepted the job unwarned.

The next few days were solemn ones, and even her audience's applause was weaker than normal. She would pay dearly for that. Before she knew it, she was bumped down to the one o'clock show, and she was anything but happy.

The same feeling she received on her first day was being reciprocated. The new girl was a beauty, her brownish skin complemented by her even darker hair, the curls bouncing down her back. Her eyes lighted up at the sight of Tris.

"She calls herself Tina." Lynn huffed. Tris didn't see what Lynn was so annoyed about, both her and the new girl were beauties. Unlike Tris. "Why was she looking at me, like that?", Tris wondered.

It wasn't like her to feel a fluttering in her stomach whenever 'Tina' would walk past her. Or when anyone walked by her. Tris definitely wasn't asexual, but a job like this made it impossible for her to look at anyone the same. Or feel for them.

Just when it looked like things were getting back to normal, Tris couldn't help but stare when Tina was performing. The way she moved, it was just graceful. Tina acted as if she's been doing this her whole life, as if it were a gift.

By the end of her routine, she received a stage-full of greens, and collected her reward. While all the other girls felt nothing but hostility towards the midnight special, Tris only could stare in awe.

Tina sauntered off stage, and winked at her, swaying her hips, and walking confidently in her glass heels.

Not yet her time, Tris was called back, and a man with with piercings everywhere you could see, greasy hair, and tattoos snaking up his arms was smiling devilishly at the tiny girl.

As soon as she saw the Andrew Jackson slip into her thong, she knew what to do. Desperate to make enough money, she went into hyper drive, making sure to note the bulge that now appeared in the young man's jeans. And when it did, she found a Hamilton pressed between the thin fabric and her skin.

She knew she did a job well done.

* * *

The strong taste used to repulse her, but through all the stress and pain, she learned to give in. One shot turned into two, two turned into three, and so on. It didn't take much to get Tris drunk.

Once the darker girl entered the bar section of the club, Tris found herself wishing that she could clean up her act. "Now she won't ever talk to me!"

As if her mind was read, Tina plopped down right next to the intoxicated girl. She gazed at Tris, her eyes searching her body.

"What's your name?"

_Beatrice. Beatrice Prior. _"Tris."

"Oh, you're the girl who used to have the midnight show? Oh wait, sorry. I'm being rude."

"It's okay. I'm okay."

"No you're not. How much," she took a shot, "did you drink?"

"Aaaa lllllot." Slurred the blonde. She tried to stand up, and show that she was capable and not drunk, but ended up stumbling on her own two feet. "See?"

"Yeah," slurp, "I see." Tris couldn't comprehend why she felt giddy inside when the darker girl latched her arms unto herself, as if she were going to kiss her. Instead, she wrapped it around her shoulders, and helped the little girl up.

"You're not very tall."_ I know._

And as if the girl said something funny, euphoria took over, and she started laughing hysterically. Laughing because of her present state. And when Tina looked at her, she didn't look as if she were an estranged person. She looked at Tris with something else.

The two dragged each other out of the club, away from the dirty club, and towards a pink Honda civic.

"I like my car. So pink's going to be your new bestie." _I never said anything bad about it._

The drive was silent, but not an awkward silence. More like the kinds that friends spend in comfort. Not a word was uttered, and both girls enjoyed it.

Tris stayed that night, supplied with pajamas, a guest bedroom, and a sandwich. She was grateful.

The next day, both paid a visit to Café World, and settled on lattes. Not even a sip later, Tris asked the question that was on her mind, "So what's your story?"

Her grip on the paper cup falters, and she drops it on the floor, only for the liquid to seep out . In an attempt to stop the mess from getting larger, she quickly picks it up from the floor.

Someone with a mop comes over and begins to work on the spill.

A thousand apologies later, the girls leave and make sure not to look back. Once in the car, the question pops back in their minds, but she doesn't dare let the words form.

Five minutes pass, then ten, then fifteen minutes go by. Finally, a whimper escapes her mouth, and Tris cocks her head towards her.

"My parents disowned me." _So did mine._

"My step dad was a huge pervert, and, he, used to do things to me. Inappropriate things. Aft first I took his threats seriously, so I just listened. Then I thought that I could tell my mom, but she knew, so yeah. My parents were bitches. And he impregnated me. They never touched my step-sister, she was the perfect child, Rose. So, when I thought I had enough, he forced me to have an abortion, and I was pretty much a mess, and I needed a way to make money."

"I needed a way to pay for college, and I thought I could just do this for awhile. My brother found out, and he told my parents. Let's just say they weren't happy. Next thing I know, I'm kicked out of the family, and I depended on this job."

And now, the girls stared at each other, almost studying the other. Tina broke into a grin, and Tris went along with it. They were both put into difficult situations, and unlike many people, they didn't break under pressure. The alternative was scary.

Suddenly, the space between them seemed like too much, and their breaths hung in the air. A radiating feeling went off of Tina, Tris could feel it.

She wanted more.

Twelve inches. Closer. Then six. Closer.

Now they were breathing in each other's breaths.

Tris wasted no time pressing her lips on the darker girl's, hers against Tina's supple ones, moving against one another in perfect sync. She could taste the strawberry chap stick on her lips, and the mint on her breath. The sparks flew as Tris parted her lips allowing the other girl's tongue explore her mouth, each battling for dominance. Tris won.

She always does.

It felt as if they should have less layers between each other, skin contact was almost _needed_. Soon Tris's leather jacket was slipped off her shoulder, exposing her tattoos on pale skin.

Unfortunately, a honk in the distance sent a reminder to her that they could not have a full-makeout session in a public parking lot. Or whatever they were doing. The interruption didn't dampen their horniness, because as soon as Tina's foot found the correct pedal, she floored it, speeding all the way to her house.

It was pure luck they didn't get flagged down by any cops.

As soon as they approached their destination, they were engaged in a lip-lock, and Tina reached behind her to lock the door, all without breaking the ongoing kiss.

The brown-skinned girl tangled her fingers into the blonde's hair, and the two broke apart to take off each other's shirts.

They left a trail of clothes to Tina's bedroom, and all that could be heard was screaming, and headboards rattling.

The two collapsed onto each other's sweaty bodies, and before Tris could drift off, she heard an "I love you" whispered into her ear. She didn't have time to wonder why they were taking it so fast.

She would soon realize why.

* * *

They kept up this routine for a week, living in their happy worlds without a single interruption.

You can only do so much in a week.

The next day, the nineteen year old walked up to Tina's house, only to find it swarming with cops and yellow cautionary tape.

Tris would later find out that her friend, her lover, was found dead on the floor of her house after an overdose. Of what?, she made the mistake of asking. She found out that Tina was deep into drugs, including Heroine.

Before she could be turned in for questioning on her affiliation with the now-named Jane Doe, Tris ran.

Ran all the way home. She was breathless, and sweaty by the time she found the key to open the front door.

She only had one key.

Her mind was racing at a million thoughts per second, and suddenly her tiny apartment seemed too cramped for her liking. Pulling up her jacket, she flung her door open, and found the cop she ran away from at her door.

Looking as if he didn't just run here after her.

Tris gulped, and awkwardly stood there for a second before regaining the courage to invite him inside. He gladly made his way into her house.

"Don't worry. I'm not here because of my job. But I have to ask. Who was she, to you?"

Friend. Company. Lover. Those three words were imprinted on her brain, but her mouth refused to cooperate. "Someone who worked with me."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I know."

It didn't occur to her how strange it was, the situation. Instead, she focused on the boy standing in front of her. Bronze skin, and a smile that just melted your heart. He was in great physical shape, muscles noticeable under the dark blue uniform.

He was handsome.

"My name's Uriah. What's yours?"

A smile worked its way unto her face, copying his silly one. "Tris."

Then the most unimaginable happened. He took a piece of paper, ripped it, and handed her his number. "I'm a good listener."

Suddenly, the heavy weights placed on her shoulders by society lessened a little, and she found herself genuinely smiling. The officer let himself out, and Tris made a mental note in her head to call him sometime.

* * *

The next few nights were hard ones especially. It was difficult to step into the lust-filled club without getting a slap in the face. It was moreover challenging not to remember the midnight-special girl, who's now gone.

It was almost impossible for Tris.

That explains her reason for getting so drunk, having to call the officer to pick her up.

Strangely, he made it clear that he didn't mind at all, Tris could tell even though she was extrememly drunk.

It was obvious.

Yet, he hoisted her, and carried her to his car, a silver Audi, and roaring off to her house. She knew they arrived at her house, and she handed him her key.

That night, she spent it being cuddled by Uriah.

* * *

The next morning was a vomit-filled occasion, and after, she stepped into her shower. Uriah was still home, making her a large buffet breakfast.

She deserves it.

Silently, Tris is thankful for the presence of another human being in her life, and how lonely she was before. When her parents gave her up, she had no one to turn to. Over the course of time, she kept her job, and told herself that was how she wanted it.

She was untouchable.

Unable to contain herself, she swallowed every crumb, never before eating that much in one sitting. Having a job like hers limits the amount she can spend and eat.

Of course, Uriah was oblivious to that, and she preferred not to let her occupation be known. To her, it has always been shameful.

He didn't pressure her, and instead was very laid back. A rare quality to come by these days.

His stopping by every other day became the norm for them.

She started looking forward to them.

If anyone to ask what they were at that point, there wouldn't be a straightforward answer. It would be impossible at that time being. Definitely not friends, they both agreed.

Tris got her answer two weeks later when he took her on their first date. Nothing fancy, but just right.

To the local carnival.

He watched as her face lit up at the sight at the rollercoasters, a genuine smile. One that he's only seen twice now.

Uriah was determined to make her smile more.

The two kissed at their parting when they rode all the rides, and the kiss turned into so much more. From the outside, Uriah seems easy going, but he held as much fire and passion if not more, than Tris when they were fighting for dominance.

She let him win.

Later that night, one could see the trail of clothes to the bedroom in her apartment.

Uriah and Tris fell asleep, tangled in one another.

* * *

Their relationship progressed for a month and a half, and things were going smoothly for Tris, something unusual. She found herself grieving, for things never remained perfect, and she knew deep down that it would all be taken away from her, just like everything else she found joy in.

Tris made every moment with Uriah memorable, memorizing every feature of his face, and his likes and dislikes. She tried not to carry much guilt as she reasoned with herself that she was making the right choice not to disclose her part-time job.

She had never regretted anything as much as that when another officer knocked on her door at four o'clock in the morning. Uriah had not stayed that night, he was called into work, and none of the two realized this would be their last moments together.

He was shot.

Some drug lord criminal shot him in the fucking chest, and still gets a trial. Uriah got nothing. He died serving his country, and for what? To be shot in the chest by some crack-addict?

Tris wept silently at first, and openly when she slammed her door shut. She didn't mean to be rude to the officer, but with news delivered like this, she was bound to be emotional.

First Tina, now Uriah.

Who else was going to disappear when she need them most? For once, she was actually in a period of happiness, and it was all taken away just to match her life's quota of disappointment.

She cried herself to sleep that night, her pillow crusty with salty tears.

* * *

One week later, and she still occasionally stayed up later, in anticipation for Uriah to arrive. Only for her to be hit with remembrance of his unfair death.

Life is so cruel.

Work was just as unforgiving, and it hit her for the first time. Of course, she knew this. Her whole life's line was to keep going. But when she received just the same number of customers that night, every more, she realized people didn't care.

That one death is nothing.

That the horrible thing is, people move on. Everyone does. Tris didn't want to admit it, until a twenty dollar bill was waved in her face.

Tears streaming down her face and with nothing to lose, she snapped.

Yet the perverted man didn't care, he just bribed another lap girl. And so she declared her goodbye, but no one was there to listen.

Water-filled eyes didn't let her see that far, so when unknowingly walking unto a highway, not much came to mind when a driver flagged her down, and pressed the break at the last second.

She only took in one thing about the young man.

His ocean-like deep blue mesmerizing eyes.

* * *

The boy refused to converse with her until she calmed down, when the alcohol was out of her system. She laid on his bathroom floor that night, the cold meeting with her overly heated body, in hopes of breaking her fever.

She wasn't sure how she got it.

It wasn't anger, but he was not entirely happy that he had to take in a hysterical girl to his house. She tried to be as helpful as she could, doing chores.

Her attempt at cooking caused him to ban her from the kitchen.

The boy didn't pity her, which made her feel stronger. She didn't need pity.

For two days, she was able to keep all her lingering thoughts of Tina and Uriah at bay, so not to make herself cry. For awhile, Tris thought that the boy didn't have a name, or something really embarrassing for a name.

That was not the case at all.

But she didn't know that.

Even though she didn't require any help, and she was sober, it occurred to both of them that they kept the other company.

Not once had she picked up an alcohol bottle, and only left the house at night for her job. Little did she know that her futile attempts at sneaking out were just that, the boy was very observant.

He had the knowledge of where she worked, based on where he found her that one night, and didn't mention it. Not wanting to create uncomforted, the two never brought up her work in their little amount of conversations.

To any other normal person, both were extremely in love with the other, but were too full of their pride to admit it. Which was, the precise case.

The stubbornness got in the way, and they remained in that awkward friend-zone phase for awhile, neither having the courage to express their true feelings.

Tris constantly begged him to bring her home, but not because she didn't like his house. In fact she did, it was very homely. Her tiny apartment reminded her of all her failures in life. He knew very well that she felt as if she were intruding, and tried to tell her that she was not in fact intruding, but he wanted her there.

Of course, he was never swift with words.

Not talking to each other for the rest of the day, somehow offended by the other, Tris locked herself in his bathroom, and sifted through his cabinet, looking for a pain relief pill.

Periods were one of the worst perks of being a girl, in Tris' opinion.

The next five days past in a blur, since she found herself enjoying flipping through daytime television shows. She almost never gets to do that, since she tries to save on her electric bills.

But soon enough, that one week period of bliss came to an end, and back to work she went. Not wanting to have a money shortage, she tried as hard as she could, but the same passion she once felt, wasn't present anymore.

Thank goodness for her exceptional acting skills, she fulfilled her personal quota.

The most surprising event of the day was the boy's car pulling over, picking her up precisely when her shift was over. How he knew that, it was unknown to her.

* * *

She said yes too soon, she should've waited a bit. Call it karma, because just once her life was going in the preferred direction, it switched back right before her eyes.

Her boyfriend was by her side at the hospital, begging her to stay awake, not leaving her side despite the nurse's arguments. Her mother had showed up as well, and acknowledged her daughter, unable to agree with her husband on their child's fate. No matter what would happen, Tris would always be her daughter, and it puzzled her how she could possibly let her walk out of her life.

She felt like a bad mother.

The doctors said it was mass rape, by a whole gang. Although she was pending death, Tris kept fighting, unwilling to give up to death.

It made Natalie and Tobias proud.

Recovery was an entirely different objective, so their main focus was to keep the petit girl alive, making sure her heart was still beating. Moving required energy, something she was lacking in.

Her dignity had been wiped, and when her mother would leave, and Tobias would go take a bathroom break, she would find herself looking into the mirror and wishing she saw something different.

Someone different.

Everyone assures her that she is fine, but feeding her lies only makes Tris pissed. Clenching her jaw is the only way for her to control her anger.

Not being able to sit upright, Tobias has to feed her, and the food is tasteless. No one argues when he starts bringing take-out from local delis and restaurants close by.

Tris is nothing but grateful when she finds out at the end of the month, that she miraculously didn't contract any STDs or HIV because of the mass rape. Either the medics lied to her, or she was just so damn lucky, which almost never happens.

Everyday brings more challenges, but Tris is able to overcome them.

* * *

They're current predicament is one that goes unexplained.

Staying at Tobias's house, they keep each other company at night, and Tobias comforts her when the nightmares begin. He does not pity her, and the two fit together perfectly like two puzzle pieces.

And it's that one thought that makes everything click, in Tris's mind. This whole time she was grieving for Tina and Uriah, they were never meant to be. No matter how hard each one would try, those passed would've never have filled the aching hole in her heart.

All that was accomplished with them, was making the pain subside for a while.

Tris needed a solution, someone. She found it in Tobias Eaton.

He was her perfect match, and understood her. Tina and Uriah showed extreme kindness towards Tris, but would never have proved enough. And when the two of them were taken away, she was able to see clearly.

That her solution took form in a human being, who would become most dearest to each other.

And that is exactly why Tris said yes to Tobias's questions two years later.

One, to quit her job.

Two, to marry him.

* * *

Life damages everyone, some more than others. There's no way to escape that damage.

But Tris is also learning this. You can be mended.

We mend each other.


End file.
